Mitchell Island Industrial Fire

DISCLAIMER: Information provided is based on reports received by Emergency Management B.C. Information provided is considered to be current at the time of posting, but is subject to change as new information becomes available.

Response Phase Detail

The responsible person or spiller is legally required to clean-up or manage the clean-up of a spill. In incidents where the responsible person is unknown, unable or unwilling to manage the clean up, the Ministry of Environment may assume the role. The updates below reflect the Ministry’s oversight of the spillers’ actions; details describe the spill response phase, only, and not the complete lifecycle of the spill. See More Information for other related reports.

Updates are in reverse chronological order, with the most recent at the top. Industry-specific language may be explained in the Glossary of Terms (PDF).

Most Recent Update

October 13, 2017 - 8:55 am

An industrial fire broke out last night, October 12, 2017, at an auto wrecking yard on Mitchell Island near Richmond, B.C. Richmond Fire Department responded to the fire. The fire suppression water runoff may impact municipal storm water systems and the Fraser River.

Richmond Public Works has been notified and is monitoring the storm drainage system for potential runoff. Boom has been placed at open drainage systems to reduce impact.

Canadian Coast Guard is monitoring the Fraser River at the back of the property to scan the water for any sign of a potential release. Vancouver Coastal Health, First Nations Health Authority and Environment Canada have been notified.

An Environmental Emergency Response Officer (EERO) with B.C. Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy was also made aware of this incident. With the assistance of Richmond Public Works, the responding EERO will continue to monitor this incident.